


To The Victor Go The Spoils

by pugwitharug



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Gen, Late Night Writing, Let's Play, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, This is gonna be a long one bois, gonna get angsty eventually, got some magic-like stuff in here that's not really magic but idk what else to call it, it's like 1 am and i'm dying inside, so many exclamation points dear GOD, when the first chapter's over 6k you know you're in for a ride
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-02-23 06:10:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23940265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pugwitharug/pseuds/pugwitharug
Summary: Alyssa's known what she wanted to do for a while: become one of the best Pokemon Trainers in the Galar region. To do that first, however, she needed a partner Pokemon. But when she finally gets her first Pokemon and has her first battle, things start to turn a little...weird.This is a rough Let's Play of Pokemon Shield with some new elements added in to make it ~*~*UNIQUE*~*~Currently on hiatus, hoping to get the chapter in sometime before school starts but no promises.
Kudos: 7





	1. Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Oof this took a long time to do
> 
> Also about the barbeque, I have the headcanon that in the Pokemon world, they make artificial meat, so any of y'all looking at that can know this

Watching a Pokemon match from the television in your home is nothing like watching a match live. You can hear the roars of the crowd in the background, you can see the Pokemon fight up closer than you could in the stadium, you can see the trainer’s expressions on their faces as the battle commences and when one of them loses. But it’s nothing like in real life. At home, comfy on your couch with a snack and possibly a Pokemon with you, you don’t hear your heart pound in your ears, blocking out all other sounds. You can’t feel the stadium shake when a powerful move is used. You can’t taste the tension in the air when a Pokemon Dynamaxes right in front of your eyes, seeing all that raw power being contained in one simple stadium. A match isn’t the same on television as it is in real life.

Alyssa sat on the couch in her comfy little house, a match from not too long ago playing on the television. The Unbeatable Champion, Leon, took up the screen, his long purple hair billowing behind him from the sandstorm his rival threw up. He held onto his cap with one hand, pulling it over his eyes to block his expression. His trusty Charizard threw fire at Raihan’s Flygon, who dodged it expertly. Raihan crouched behind Flygon in his signature battle pose, teeth bared and fingers bent like claws. His eyes wide with wild exhilaration, he gave his Flygon an order. Dragon’s Breath, a powerful move. Leon’s Charizard took it head-on, and the camera quickly cut back to Leon, his mouth turning down in concentration.

To anyone else who didn't know any better, they would say that Raihan had the upper hand here. But they didn't know the Champion. There was a reason he was called Unbeatable.

Alyssa gripped the couch cushions as the battle continued. She already knew the outcome of this battle, but the exhilaration of watching it never faded. One by one, Leon and Raihan traded blows to each other’s Pokemon. Both trainers grew increasingly exasperated as Raihan’s Flygon fainted and he was left with only Duraludon. He threw his last partner out into the stand, who let out a loud roar at Charizard. Charizard roared back at it, a smaller battle to see whose roar would outshine whose.

Then, Raihan grabbed his Pokeball and drew Duraludon back. From his Dynamax band, purple lights started seeping into the Pokeball, making it bigger. His Rotom phone flew from out of his pocket as he hoisted the Dynamaxed ball onto his shoulder and flashed a smirk at the phone before throwing it behind him. Duraludon Dynamaxed--no, Gigantimaxed--its large steel spire sticking up above the stadium. Dark purple clouds formed around it, showing off its power.  
That didn't seem to phase Leon though. Instead, he grabbed his Pokeball and drew Charizard back in, those same lights from his Dynamax band making his Pokeball bigger. He grabbed it with both hands and threw it behind him--

Suddenly, the front door threw itself open and footsteps ran into the living room.

Alyssa turned around to see Hop, her best friend since they were babies and Leon’s little brother. They shared the same golden eyes, the same hair color, and the same passion for Pokemon.

“Alyssa!” Hop exclaimed as he skidded to a stop behind the couch. “Come on, what’re you still doing sitting here? Leon’s coming home!”

“I know, I know, I’m coming.” She turned off the television right as Leon delivered the final blow against Raihan. “He’s coming in from Wedgehurst, right?”

Hop laced his fingers behind the back of his head. “Yeah, but you know he’s pants with directions! We gotta get there and make sure he gets home before he gets lost. And you know how he always brings presents when he comes home! Maybe if we get there earlier, he’ll give them to us earlier too!”

“Good point. He’s got all those fans too, gotta ward them off. Hang on, lemme get my stuff.” She ran upstairs into her room, where posters covered almost every inch of the walls. Many of them were of the Gym Leaders: Milo in Turffield, Kabu in Motostoke, Opal in Ballonlea, Melony in Circhester. She grabbed her black sweater, her sports cap with the Motostoke Gym logo on it, and her rucksack. She took a quick look in the mirror. She looked like a Pokemon Trainer raring to go on another adventure. A small chuckle came out. That’s what she wanted to do, after all, become the best Trainer in the Galar region. One day, she’ll get to do it.

She came back downstairs to Hop, who was rocking on his feet in anticipation. “Geez, what took you so long?”

“Shut up,” she joked as she punched his arm. “Come on, let’s go already.”

“Couldn’t agree more!”

The two of them left the house into the front yard. Above them, the sun shone brightly with barely a cloud in the sky. The little garden that Alyssa’s mom kept to in the front yard was only a few rows of piled dirt, the seeds not starting to grow yet. A little Budew waddled between the rows, its small legs not carrying it very far. A short stone wall encompassed the whole area around the house.

A thud came from just outside the house, however. A wild Wooloo, curled up in a ball, rolled back and forward in an attempt to break down the wooden gate leading to the mysterious--and quite dangerous--Slumbering Weald. It wasn’t safe for anyone to be going in there, much less a Pokemon.

“What’s that Wooloo doing?” Hop asked as he walked down the cobblestone stairs leading up to Alyssa’s house.

“Don’t know,” Alyssa replied. It was odd to see a Wooloo outside of its flock, much less the fields outside Postwick. “Maybe it got lost?”

“Well, whoever lost it, I’m sure they’re looking for it. And the fence should be sturdy enough to hold it off.” Hop suddenly starts running off down the opposite way. “Come on! We’ll miss him!”

“Hey! Wait up you bugger!” Alyssa laughed as she ran after him, leaving the Wooloo to its own devices.

They ran past Hop’s house just down the street, larger and taller than Alyssa’s, but that didn't bother her any. They passed the farmers’ fields outside the stone walls, green and yellow with grass and crops. Flocks of Wooloo grazed in place, their cries carrying out over the land.

Postwick wasn’t a big village, and before they knew it, they were on Route 1. It wasn’t that long of a route either, basically only going in a straight line. A few people Alyssa knew from Wedgehurst walked along the sides of the Route, waving at her as she went by. She waved back, a smile on her face and the wind in her long brown hair.

At the end of the Route, she came to a stop next to Hop. Wedgehurst Station was just outside of the exit, but it was already blocked off by a group of people. Snippets of their conversations were caught:

“I can’t believe that Leon’s finally coming home! It’s been so long!”

“The Champion! The Champion!”

“There he is!”

Hop and Alyssa had to push through the crowd to get to the front. There, in all his shining glory, was Leon. His long cape with the fake fur at the edges and about a dozen sponsor logos on the back hung at his shoulders, adding to the really flashy and extra outfit that he always wore. His partner Pokemon stood behind him, its light blue eyes scanning the crowd.

Leon dealt with the crowd with a smile and a wave, as he normally did. The crowd of admirers gave him praise and asked him questions, to which he accepted and gave no real answers, saying that he’ll answer any questions at a different time.

“Lee!” Hop exclaimed as he ran up to his big brother and gave him a tight hug.

Leon grinned and gave him a one-armed hug back. “Hey there Hopscotch! Good to see you! You’ve barely grown since last time, eh?”

“Yep! That sharp eye’s what’s kept you Champion for so long, isn’t it? Now come on, Mum’s waiting for us all back home!”

Leon laughed heartily. “You just want to know what I’ve brought back.” He ruffles Hop’s hair as Charizard starts making a path through the crowd to Route 1. “Alright, let’s go home!”

Before they could get very far, a fan shouted from the crowd, “Do the Charizard pose!”

Leon sighed and stopped. “Alright, you asked for it!” He spun around in a circle a few times, his cape barely keeping up with him, before stopping and giving them his famous Charizard pose. The pose that always instilled so much hope into people when they saw it. The pose that Alyssa and Hop practiced so much when they were younger to get it just right, fixing each other if their feet weren’t placed correctly or if their fingers were slightly off.

“Well, everyone, I bid you farewell!” Leon said as he fixed his crown cap. “But don’t you worry; I’ll make sure that everyone in Galar can have a champion time!”

The crowd cheered again as Leon started walking back down Route 1, Charizard right behind him.

“That’s my brother for you!” Hop laughed. “Always entertaining the crowd.”

“It’s one of my duties, for the people of Galar,” Leon said. “Now.” He looked over to Alyssa, walking beside Hop. “You must be the Alyssa I’ve heard all about from Hop.”

She nods and shifts her bag straps on her shoulders. She couldn’t believe that she was finally talking to Hop’s brother in person, the man she’s looked up to since she decided she wanted to be a Pokemon Trainer. “Yep. It’s nice to finally meet you in person.”

Charizard came around from behind them and nudged Alyssa’s shoulder with its muzzle. Alyssa smiled and petted its snout. “You too,” she chuckled.

Leon grinned and laughed heartily. “It seems Charizard has taken a liking to you already! That must be a sign.”

“A sign that I’ll become a good Trainer one day?” Alyssa asked, more to herself than the boys.

“You might become a good Trainer someday, but you’ll never defeat the soon-to-be Champion!” Hop declared, pumping his fists out to the sky. “To show that, I’ll race you back home! Last one there’s a Trubbish!” He ran off, followed closely by Alyssa. Their laughs carried over the Route as Leon merely smiled and shook his head. 

“Children, huh?” he said to his Charizard, who huffed out some smoke in response.

~~~~~

Hop’s mother was hosting an outdoor barbeque in celebration of Leon visiting home. The smell of freshly cooked meat hung in the air as thin white smoke came out from the grill. As always, her cooking was delicious and everybody had seconds. Leon and Hop, however, ended up having thirds and fourths and filling their stomachs to the max. Alyssa looked down at herself, wondering if it would be worth it to get some more food, but ended up deciding against making Hop’s poor mother make more food just for her.

Hop bounced out of his chair and threw his paper plate away into the trash bin. “Alright Lee, what did you bring us? You brought us Pokemon, didn't you? You brought us Pokemon so we can start our epic quest to fight you?”

Leon smiled and threw his plate away. “You only care about the gifts and not your big bro coming back to see you, don’t you?”

Hop stopped where he was and looked up at Leon, stumbling over his words. “Um, I, uh--”

He was interrupted with a laugh from Leon. “I’m joking! Your face!”

“Hey!” Hop retorted. “That’s mean! Big bros aren’t supposed to trick their siblings!”

“I’m pretty sure that’s their whole job,” Alyssa said, smiling at the two brothers bickering with each other.

“How would you know? You don’t have any siblings!”

“She can at least have an idea,” Leon said as he started walking over to the blacktop next to the patio. “Now come on, don’t you wanna see your gifts?”

Hop sprung back to life and ran over to the blacktop, Alyssa right behind him. She could almost see the anticipation radiating off of him as his fists clenched up a little.

“Right then!” Leon grinned. “The greatest gift from the greatest Champion…” He pulled three Pokeballs off of his belt and threw them up. “It’s showtime everyone!”

Three beams of light flew out of the Pokeballs and onto the ground, forming into three different Pokemon. Alyssa drew in a small breath. She knew what these Pokemon were: they were the starter Pokemon given to Trainers who wanted to challenge the Gym Leaders. Finally, she could be starting her dream.

“Take a good look, you two!” Leon said. “These are the three Pokemon you’ll be choosing from! Say hi to Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble!”

Grookey hopped up and down, letting out a happy chirp at being called on. Scorbunny starts running around the blacktop, little spurts of flames kicking up underneath its feet. Sobble flinched away from what was going on around it and started curling up into a ball on the ground.

“Which one will it be?” Leon asks, looking over the three Pokemon with interest.

Hop shoves his hands into his pockets. “I’ve already got my first Pokemon, Alyssa.” He nodded over to the trio. “You can have first pick!”

Alyssa didn't need much time to decide. She already had her eye on one. She kneeled down onto the blacktop. “Scorbunny.”

Scorbunny stopped running around and ran up to her, the little tufts of fur on the side of its face twitching.

Alyssa smiled. “I choose you.”

“So you’re choosing Scorbunny?” Hop said. “Nice one! Then I’ll go with...Grookey! You’re mine!”

At hearing its name being called, Grookey bounded over to Hop, chirping happily at being picked.

“Either of you want to give your new partner a nickname?” Leon asked.

Alyssa nodded. Giving her new Pokemon a name seemed fitting, since they were going to be with each other for a while now. But what to name it? What gender even was it? She didn't know if there was any physical difference between a male and female, and she didn't think Leon really knew either. Sam? Didn't fit right. Alex? Not that one either. She searched Scorbunny all over, looking for something hidden to tell her what the right name was…

“Deacon,” she finally said. “Yeah, that’s right. Deacon.”

“That sounds like a perfect name!” Leon grinned. “Alright, Alyssa, I think it’s time that you head home and spend some quality time with Deacon. I know you and your mum will want to learn all about your new Pokemon partner!”

~~~~~

The next day, Alyssa meets Hop and Leon outside of their house again. Deacon runs right ahead of her, exploring every little thing. A dandelion in between the cracks of the stone wall--must explore. Dirt--so interesting! A small pebble in the middle of the road--a new football, he must have it. Alyssa also decided that Deacon is a ‘he’ until she’s told otherwise.

“Seems like Deacon’s all fired up today!” Leon joked, a stupid smile on his face.

Hop groaned and dragged his fingers down his face. “Really? A dad joke?”

Alyssa rolled her eyes. “That was dumb.”

Deacon seemed to agree, as he thumped a foot on the ground near Leon, kicking up a few embers.

“I can see that you and your Pokemon have definitely bonded,” Leon chuckled as he stepped away from Deacon’s flames. “What about you, Hop? Getting along with your new partner okay? Understanding each other? Maybe building up a bit of love?”

“You bet I am!” Hop replied. Grookey, who was sitting on his shoulder, took its stick out of its head and waved it in the air. “With my new partner, I’m gonna become the trainer who takes you down, the unbeatable Champion!”

“Oh, so you think because you now have a new Pokemon, you see fit to call yourself such a proper Trainer?” Leon asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’ll be the judge of that! Let’s see how you handle yourself in a Pokemon battle against your friend, if she’s willing.”

Alyssa grinned and nodded. “You bet I am!” She pointed to Hop, adrenaline flowing through her. Her first ever Pokemon battle! Finally! “Get ready to taste defeat!”

“Oh please! I’ve watched every match that Lee’s ever had! I’ve read every book and magazine he’s left at home, too! I know exactly what to do in order to win!” He pulled out a Pokeball from his bag and threw it out. Wooloo appeared, ready and raring for battle. “It’s my two Pokemon against your one!”

“Alright! Go Deacon!” Deacon ran into the battlefield, jumping up and down in preparation, a determined expression on his face. Her heart pounded in her chest, Deacon got into a fighting stance, Hop clapped his cheeks to focus himself, Wooloo dug at the ground with its hoof, Leon stood by the sidelines watching, the battle was beginning--

And suddenly the world went dark.

It was for a second, only a second, but after that much had changed. Alyssa stopped cold when she saw what had changed.

Floating above Deacon was his name. Next to that was a blue circle with the male symbol. Below that, the words ‘Lv. 5’ and a green bar with the numbers ‘24/24’ right below it. A grey circle encompassed the word ‘Moves’ off into the corner of her vision.

The pounding in her chest started to come from shock instead of adrenaline. What had just happened? What was all of this? What were ‘Lv. 5’ and ‘Moves’ supposed to mean?

She looked up at Hop, who seemed completely unbothered by the changes. Above his Pokemon was its name, ‘Lv. 3’ to the side of it, and another green health bar, this time with no numbers below it.

“You can…” she said to Hop, barely loud enough for him to hear. “You can see this?”

“What?” Hop called. “Mate, you gotta speak up, I can’t hear you from all the way over there!”

“Is something wrong?” Leon asked, not having heard what Alyssa said either.

She glanced at Leon. He might not be fazed by it, since he’s been battling for years. Maybe he’s just gotten used to it and didn't think it would bother them.

She looked back at the battle, where Hop was waiting for her with his hands behind his head. He was waiting for her to make a move.

At the thought of ‘move,’ three bubbles branched out from the respective box in the corner. Two grey ones, one red; the words ‘Tackle,’ ‘Growl,’ and ‘Ember’ written in those bubbles. Next to each word was a fraction: 30/30 for the two grey bubbles, and 25/25 for the red. Underneath ‘Tackle’ and ‘Ember’ were the words ‘Effective.’ Effective on what?

“Are you freezing up, mate?” Hop yells. “Come on, this is a Pokemon battle!”

He was right, she had to start battling. “Deacon, use Tackle!” Deacon obeyed her command and raced towards Hop’s Wooloo.

“Counter it! Use Tackle too!” he commanded, punching into the air. Wooloo curled up into a ball and rolled at top speed towards Deacon. The two collided and got pushed back. Both of their green bars went down, Wooloo’s more than Deacon’s. The number underneath it went down to 20/24.

So the green bar seemed to be Pokemon’s health. Wooloo was worse for wear than Deacon. That must have something to do with the whole Level thing as well.

“Keep using Tackle!” Alyssa said.

“And keep countering with Tackle!” Hop said. “We can tire Deacon out!”

The two Pokemon kept exchanging Tackle after Tackle, running into each other again and again. Eventually, Wooloo uncurled from its most recent Tackle in front of Hop, passed out and letting out a little wheeze.

Hop pulled Wooloo back into its Pokeball. At the same time, another bar appeared underneath Deacon’s green bar. A small, thin blue bar started appearing and filling up the invisible lines. Now what was that supposed to be? Alyssa’s head started to hurt from all of these new things. How come Hop wasn’t fazed about this?

“It’s not over yet!” Hop’s yelling interrupted her train of thought. “I’ve added another trusty ally to my team! Go, Grookey!”

Grookey hopped off of Hop’s shoulders and into the battlefield, grabbing the stick out of its head and banging it on the ground, letting out a battle cry.

In Alyssa’s eyes, things had changed again. Grookey’s name floated above it, along with a health bar, the male symbol, and ‘Lv. 5’ right next to all of it.

The bubbles in front of her had changed as well: the number next to Tackle changed to 27/30, and the word ‘Effective’ underneath Ember changed into ‘Super Effective.’ She knew Ember was a Fire-type move, and Grookey was a Grass-type, so this type of move would be super effective on Grookey.

Alyssa pulled on her hat. “Use Ember!” Deacon ran towards Grookey, flames kicking up underneath his feet. He jumped up and kicked the flames to Grookey. They hit directly onto Grookey, making it squeal and jump back. The health bar went down to about half, turning it into yellow. Such a powerful hit against a same Level Pokemon.

“What?! Did you already know about type advantages?!” Hop exclaimed.

“It’s the most obvious one!” Alyssa called back. “For someone who said they studied all that their older brother did, you sure aren’t showing it!”

“Whatever! Even if you do have the type advantage, I’ll still come out victorious. Use Scratch!”

Scratch didn't do as much to Deacon as Tackle did, but Deacon’s health bar started to go into the yellow zone. Alyssa bit on her lip. “Finish this with Ember!”

And with one final flame, Grookey fainted.

Hop picked up the unconscious Grookey and returned it to its Pokeball as the blue bar above Deacon grew again. Suddenly, it disappeared, and ‘Lv. 5’ became ‘Lv. 6.’ Whatever that meant.

“You beat my two Pokemon with your one?” Hop sighed. “You and that Scorbunny are too much!”

And just like that, the world went dark again.

When Alyssa’s vision returned, everything was back to normal. No names floating above anyone, no Levels or bubbles, no Moves, no bars. It was as if nothing had even changed.

She blinked a few times, trying to get the things back. Nothing happened.

“That was certainly an interesting battle,” Leon said. “Almost made me wanna throw Charizard out there and join in on the fun! Here, why don’t I fix up your Pokemon?”

Hop and Alyssa handed Leon their Pokemon, and he got right to healing them, pulling out Potion bottles and squirting them onto the Pokemon.

“So now that you saw us battle, you have to let us do the Gym Challenge now!” Hop exclaimed.

Leon smirked at his little brother’s insistence. “Not putting the cart before the Rapidash there, little bro? Before you think about getting Gym Badges, you need to learn more about Pokemon, and that includes getting Pokedexes.”

“Right, right,” Hop sighed. “Pokedexes. No problem! We’ll head over to the Pokemon Research Lab right now!”

“Now that’s the kind of enthusiasm I like to see!” Leon laughed as he handed their Pokemon back to them. Alyssa kept Deacon out of his Pokeball and held him close. He wriggled a little in her arms, and she set him down and let him jump around. “I’ll tell the Professor to expect you!”

“Right then!” Hop punched up into the air. “This’ll be the first page of my legend! Alyssa, you should probably go tell your mum we’re off to Wedgehurst.”

She nodded. “She’ll call a police search if I don’t.” She tapped Deacon’s shoulder to get his attention. “Come on, let’s head home.” She started running back home, and Deacon followed right behind her.

She took a step onto the stone steps leading up to her house when something caught her eye. The wooden gate leading to the Slumbering Weald was thrown open, almost broken at the hinges. Deacon noticed as well and started running towards it.

“No!” Alyssa reached out and grabbed Deacon before he could go any further. “You can’t go in there, it’s too dangerous for you.”

Deacon huffed at being held back from exploring, but didn't fight back against her.

Hop ran up to them. “What’s the hold up?” He looked over at the broken gate. “Wait a minute...that Wooloo that was there yesterday…” He snapped his head over to Alyssa, his eyes wide. “You don’t think it broke through the gate, do you?”

“Wooloo tackles are pretty strong when they want to be,” Alyssa muttered. She looked out into the eerie path that led into the dense forest, shrouded by tall grass and dark shadows. Rumor has it that there were some very powerful Pokemon living in there. If that Wooloo was in there, it wouldn't stand much of a chance.

“We have to save that Wooloo!” Hop suddenly ran past the gate and into the path of the forest.

“Hop! Wait!” Alyssa yelled as she started to run after him, but stopped right at the gate. It was dangerous to go into the Slumbering Weald, and she only had the one starter Pokemon with her. But Hop ran into there, and he might get lost, or he might get hurt by the Pokemon, or…

She ran past the gate into the forest.

Almost immediately, shadows replaced sunlight, and tall grass grew up to her knees. She hugged Deacon closer to her, who protested at being hugged so tightly. Sounds of scuttering Pokemon came from every direction, every point in the ground, every blade of tall grass seemed to house a Pokemon.

“Hop!” she yelled out into the darkness. Her own voice echoed back at her. A chill ran down her spine as she kept trekking on.

At a fork in the path, fog thick enough to where she couldn’t see down the diverging paths, she called out his name again.

“Alyssa?” his reply came from the right path.

She ran down it, trying to avoid as many Pokemon as she could. “Hop?! Are you okay?”

She found Hop waiting for her at the edge of a patch of tall grass. “I’m fine. Are you and Deacon doing okay?”

Deacon squeaked and wriggled around some more, but Alyssa held on tight. “We’re fine. Any sign of the Wooloo?”

Hop shook his head. “Nope. This could mean trouble...and the fog here is starting to get thicker. We need to find it, and fast.”

Suddenly, a cry came from deeper into the forest.

“Did you hear that? That might’ve been the Wooloo!” He started running off again. “It might be in real trouble!”

“Keep close!” she yelled after him as she followed.

They ran through forks in the path, jumped over tree roots in the way, and dodged the various Pokemon that dwelled underneath their feet. All the while, the fog grew thicker and thicker, and it grew harder to see in front of themselves.

“Gah, I can barely see my own hand in front of my face!” Hop sighed. “I guess I get why this place is so off-limits.”

Alyssa nodded, even though she knew he couldn’t see her. “Yeah...we should head back. It isn’t safe anymore.”

“What? No, we have to find that Wooloo! It could be in danger!”

“Hop, think about ourselves for a second! We shouldn’t even be here in the first place!”

The grass in front of them crunched.

“Is that it?” Hop asked. “Hey, Wooloo! It’s alright, we’re here to get you out!”

What stepped out in front of them was not a Wooloo.

A strange Pokemon stepped out in front of them, wolf-like in build with red and blue fur that stuck out from the thickness of the fog. Its fur bunched up in the front like a shield, and a blue ponytail flowed from the top of its head. She felt the Pokemon gaze directly into her soul, even though she couldn’t clearly see its eyes.

The Pokemon let out a bone-chilling howl that rang in their ears. Alyssa had to let go of Deacon to cover her ears. Deacon ran towards the strange Pokemon, hopping up and down and stirring up some flames. It looked down at Deacon with such a strong intensity that Deacon took a step back and let out a tiny whimper.

Alyssa’s vision went dark once again.

Everything that was there last time was there now; Deacon’s name, his Level, his health bar, his blue bar. Except, when she looked at the Pokemon, it wasn’t the same. Everything except for the health bar was all three question marks.

“Three question marks?” Alyssa asked out loud to herself.

“What are you talking about?” Hop asked before shaking his head and grabbing a Pokeball. “Whatever, I’ll help you out! Go, Wooloo!” He threw Wooloo out into the field, who also started to cower under the Pokemon’s gaze.

Alyssa looked towards the Moves bubble, which opened up again to the three bubbles. The names of the moves were there, as well as the numbers, but there were no words underneath them.

“Are we even supposed to battle it?” Alyssa asked. “It doesn’t seem to be attacking.”

“That could be the thing that was hurting the Wooloo!” Hop replied. “Wooloo, use Tackle!”

Wooloo curled up into a shaking ball instead, refusing to move.

“What? Wooloo, are you okay?” He turned to Alyssa. “I think it’s up to you! My Wooloo won’t budge!”

Alyssa looked back and forth between Hop and the strange Pokemon who just...stood there. Staring at them. Not moving a muscle. She took a deep breath. If this Pokemon could be of any sort of danger, she should at least protect Hop and Wooloo.

“Deacon, use Ember!” she commanded.

Deacon shook off the Pokemon’s gaze and nodded, running up to it and using Ember.

The flames phased through the Pokemon like it was gas.

“Wha--?!” Hop exclaimed, dumbfounded. “The move had no effect on it?!”

“Maybe Fire-type moves don’t affect it?” Alyssa said, hoping to come up with some sort of explanation. At least that could have some sort of explanation around it, unlike what she was seeing. “Use Tackle instead!” 

Once again, Deacon ran towards the Pokemon. But nothing happened. At least not to the Pokemon. The fog around them started to thicken even more to where Alyssa had a hard time seeing the Pokemon.

“Alyssa! I can’t see anything! You OK?!”

“I’m fine! I’m right here! Deacon?!”

Deacon let out a confused cry as he stumbled about, trying to find the Pokemon again.

“Use Ember again and try to find it!”

Flames kicked up under Deacon’s feet and he launched them towards the general direction of where he thought the Pokemon was. Nothing happened.

The fog began to thicken even more. Alyssa couldn’t even see Deacon anymore.

“I can’t see anything!” Hop’s voice sounded like it was miles away.

Alyssa reached out into the fog. Nothing. Nothing but the thick cloud in front of her. She could barely even see her own hands. Her breath started catching in her throat. She was alone, all alone, she couldn’t find anyone. She tried to scream, but nothing came out, only empty air. Sweat began building upon her forehead, she stumbled, trying to find someone, something, anything--

Her vision went dark again, and this time it didn't come back.

~~~~~

Muffled voices came from outside. Wait, outside where? They were just outside. She felt herself being shaken. Someone found her, someone finally found her. She opened her eyes. Nothing was there. Oh wait, her eyes were still closed. She opened her eyes again. They felt so heavy, like a Snorlax was weighing them down. She mustered up the strength to open them.

The first thing she saw was a bright light blinding her. She shut her eyes again before slowly opening them back up, allowing them to adjust. Where was she? The last thing she remembered, she was in the Slumbering Weald. There was this Wooloo. There was this Pokemon. There was this fog--

Something wet licked her cheek, and she grunted as she moved her face away.

“Hey, wake up,” an unfamiliar voice said from right next to her. She opened her eyes up more to see who it was.

In front of her was this woman who didn't look to be older than 25, wavy ginger hair tied up in a side ponytail. A pair of sunglasses sat atop her head, and heart pins dotted her ponytail. Right next to her was a Yamper, sticking its tongue out and panting happily, letting out a little bark at seeing her awake.

“Oh, you’re finally awake,” the woman said. “Thank goodness, I thought you might’ve died.”

Alyssa blinked. “Whu…how did…” Her head pounded from the light.

Another groan came from next to her. Alyssa sat up a bit to see Hop resting on a sofa, Leon kneeling down right next to him as he started to stir and sit up. “What--”

“What were you thinking?!” Leon yelled, making Hop and Alyssa flinch. “Going out into the Slumbering Weald by yourselves! You could’ve been seriously hurt!”

“Huh--Lee?” Hop asked, rubbing one of his eyes. “What’re you doing here?”

“You had me worried sick! I was waiting ages for you two to show up, and you never did! I came after you two and found you two passed out in the middle of the Slumbering Weald!”

“Where are we?” Alyssa asked as she too sat up on a nice, comfortable sofa and grabbed her cap from the coffee table in front of it, putting it back on.

“You’re in my grandmother’s, Professor Magnolia’s, house,” the woman said. “I’m her granddaughter, Sonia. You two were supposed to see me, but ended up going in the completely wrong direction. Leon called me over to help you two back.”

“Wait, where’s the Wooloo?!” Hop suddenly asked, his eyes widening. “We were trying to rescue that Wooloo!”

“The little chap’s just fine,” Leon said. “It was huddled with you two when I found you. You know that the Slumbering Weald’s out of bounds...but it took some courage from you two, and I have to applaud that.”

Hop sighed in relief and sank into the couch. “Thank goodness it’s alright...I thought we had it when that weird Pokemon came out of nowhere. We thought it was hurting the Wooloo and attacked, but nothing was happening! All of our moves just went straight through it.”

Leon raised an eyebrow. “A weird Pokemon?”

Alyssa nodded. “Yeah, it was really tall and had this intense stare that looked right into your soul. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Leon looked back at Sonia. “A Pokemon that wasn’t affected by moves? So the fearsome Pokemon they say live in the Slumbering Weald…” He turned back to Hop. “How about you two go play outside for a bit? Me and Sonia have some things we need to talk about.”

“Alright,” Hop sighed as he and Alyssa stood up.

“Oh, by the way,” Sonia said before pulling out two Pokeballs. “We got your Pokemon back. They were passed out as well, but they’re as fine as a fiddle now.”

Hop grinned and took back one of the Pokeballs. “Thanks! I was starting to get worried about my partner!”

Alyssa took her Pokeball back as well. “Yeah, same. Thanks.”

The two of them headed outside the house, past the front yard enclosed by stone walls. A garden lay on one side of it, little Berry saplings poking out of rows of soil. The house sat nestled next to a lake, the sun’s shimmering rays reflecting off the calm waters. A tall tree grew at the very edge of the land, a long rope tied to one of the thicker branches. Beside it, a simple bench looked out over the water.

Hop laced his hands behind his head as they walked. “Even if we did get an earful from Lee...what an experience! This’ll make a pretty fine first page of my legend!”

“I don’t think ‘experience’ is what I would call that,” Alyssa muttered as she tugged down on her cap to block the sunlight. “That was scary.”

“But nobody was harmed! We got out safely, as well as the Wooloo. That’s what’s most important here!”

Alyssa opened her mouth to say something back, but two bright red lights streaking in the sky above them interrupted her.

“Whoa! What’s that?!” Hop exclaimed, pointing up at the streaks as they started to fall down and down until they landed right next to the bench.

They ran over to investigate. Laying in two tiny craters were two glowing round pieces, its surface covered with strange black triangles. In some spots, small octagonal cylinders popped out.

“Check it out!” Hop laughed as he picked one of them up. “Wishing Stars! Go ahead, take the other one!”

Alyssa reached down towards the other Wishing Star, hesitating before picking it up. The red light in between the cracks glowed in her hand. “What’s a Wishing Star?”

“You can use Wishing Stars to Dynamax Pokemon! My Pokemon are gonna be huge! Yes!”

Dynamaxing Pokemon. One little piece of...something could make a Pokemon grow that big and that powerful? Alyssa almost felt like she was tainting it by holding it.

“And, when you find a Wishing Star and you have a wish, if you say it three times, it’ll come true! I will be the greatest Trainer ever! I WILL be the greatest Trainer ever!” He tilted his head back to shout into the sky. “I WILL BE THE GREATEST TRAINER EVER!!” He laughed and let his head fall back forward. “There! Now it has to come true!” He looked over to Alyssa. “Come on, now you say your wish! It has to be out loud and said three times!”

Alyssa looked down at the Wishing Star in her hand, the light reflecting off her hand. Any wish she wanted. All she had to do was say it three times, and it would come true.

She turned away from Hop and whispered into her hand. “Tell me what is happening. Tell me what is happening.” She looked up into the sky, looking up to anything or anybody that will hear her wish and make it come true.

“Tell me what is happening.”


	2. View

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go again with another chapter! Yay! We're only a ninth of the way finished, but it'll be worth it in the end

Hop and Alyssa brought the Wishing Stars back inside to a surprised Sonia, who said that she would give them to her grandmother. She would know what to do with them. But for now, she said, they should head home and rest up.

During the walk home, Hop was obviously excited about what was going on. “Two Wishing Stars that just happened to fall down in front of us? Can you believe our luck or what?! It’s a sign from above! A sign that we’ll be in the Gym Challenge! Lee’ll have to endorse us now. And we finally got our Pokedexes! Can’t wait to fill it up with all types of Pokemon!””

Alyssa let him talk about the Wishing Stars and the Gym Challenge all the way back to Postwick. By that time, the afternoon sun still held itself high up in the sky, shining down on them.

“Well, I’m gonna check on Wooloo at home,” he said as they neared his house. “I’ll see you tomorrow then, mate! Get ready to start training some more!” He waved goodbye as he ran back to his house.

Alyssa went back into her house and let Deacon out of his Pokeball. He let out a happy cry as he ran around her room, eventually hopping onto her beanbag in the corner, kicking his feet up and down. A small smile crossed her lips as she grabbed the TV remote and turned the TV on, picking Deacon up and putting him in her lap. That only lasted a few minutes before Deacon pulled himself off and started hopping up and down, talking to the people on the TV.

“You really like to move around, don’t you?” Alyssa chuckled.

Deacon replied with another squeak.

That night, Alyssa couldn’t sleep. Deacon cuddled right next to her, his face tufts tickling her neck, unaware that she was still awake. She stared up at the ceiling, the fan above her rotating lazily. She couldn’t stop thinking about all that had happened today: first the battle with those strange bubbles and bars, then the Pokemon in the Slumbering Weald, now Wishing Stars appear out of practically nowhere? The Stars were the least of her problems, but she still found it weird.

What was she even seeing? Was she supposed to see that? And if she was, why didn't Hop react to it at all? Had he done Pokemon battles before? That could explain it, if he was even seeing those things at all. But what if he wasn’t? Was there something wrong with her? So many questions, with no one awake to answer them. If there even was someone to answer them.

What if she was the only one in the world with this problem?

~~~~~

The next day arose as new as any other, and Hop knocked on her door as he did most days. Alyssa’s mother let him in, and he walked into the kitchen as Alyssa was pouring herself a bowl of cereal.

“G’morning mate!” Hop said with a big smile. “You get some good sleep last night?”

Alyssa shrugged and went into the fridge to grab some Moomoo milk. “I guess.”

“Wow, I could barely sleep last night! I’m so excited to see what Professor Magnolia made of those Wishing Stars! Hey, do you think we’ll get Dynamax bands like Lee has?” He walked over to Deacon, who was looking at the cartoons page on a newspaper spread out over the table, and patted his head. Deacon protested and bapped his hand away. “Whoa, sorry,” he chuckled as he drew his hand back.

“Yeah, he doesn’t like being held or touched much,” Alyssa said through a bite of cereal.

“That’s the opposite of Grookey. Every time I let it out of its Pokeball, it wants to climb all over me like a tree!”

“He.”

Hop frowned. “What?”

“Your Grookey’s a he.”

“Really? How did you know?”

Alyssa froze. She remembered during their first battle seeing the male symbol next to Grookey’s name, but Hop didn't know about it. Does that mean that Hop didn't see everything there?

“Well, it just--it looks like a he, to me at least. Just like Deacon looks like a he. To me.” She sighed. “They’re Pokemon, what am I talking about?” She shook her head, her face starting to become warm. “Nevermind, call Grookey whatever you want. It’s your Pokemon.”

Hop gave her a weird look. “Uh-huh. Hey, hurry up eating. I’m getting tired of waiting, I’m gonna train my way to the Professor’s house! I’ll meet you there!” He ran out of the house again, slamming the door shut behind him.

Alyssa sighed and slinked into the seat next to Deacon, who leaned over to sniff at her food. She probably freaked him out with how weird she was acting. She took a remorseful bite. Now the cereal was ruined. Great.

“Alyssa, honey?” her mum’s voice called from the doorway into the dining room. “I just heard Hop leave. Are you not going to go with him?”

“I am, just gonna finish my food,” she replied.

“Good. While you’re still here, I want to give you some things.” She left for a few minutes before coming back with a small pouch in one hand. “Since you’re finally starting your journey, you should have some of these.” She handed over the pouch, and Alyssa opened it. Inside, a pile of Pokeballs sat, ready to be used.

“Wow, thanks,” Alyssa said as she closed the pouch again. “That’ll save me some money for a bit.”

Her mum nodded. “And can I see your Rotom phone?”

Alyssa gave it to her, and she went through it for a while before handing it back to her. “There, I downloaded the Galar map. That way, you won’t ever get lost.”

Alyssa smiled. “Thanks, again.” She looked around the room, at the table and chairs, the kitchen, the decorations on the walls. It all felt so familiar to her, so safe, so inviting. “If I get endorsed...I don’t know when I’ll be coming back.”

“You don’t have to know, sweetie.” She put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I’ll be here for whenever you need to come back home.”

Affection pulled at Alyssa’s heart, and she found herself hugging her mother tightly. “I love you, Mum.”

Her mum smiled warmly and hugged her back. “I love you too, my little Rookidee. Now, finish your food. You don’t want to keep Hop waiting for too long.”

Alyssa nodded and let go, digging back into her food.

“Keep her safe,” her mum said to Deacon, who gave her a nod and a salute. She smiled at him before walking back into the living room.

Deacon hopped off the chair and climbed up to stand on the windowsill, pressing his face against the glass. The garden in front of him was beginning to sprout little green stems, a Budew sleeping over in the corner. Bright blue sky, dotted with clouds here and there, sprawled above him. He grinned at all the beautiful nature in front of him.

Over in the corner of his vision, the Slumbering Weald lay, its darkness consuming the light from above like a black hole. Out of the darkness, something stared at him with gleaning, unrelentless eyes. His fur began to stand on edge as he snapped his eyes over to the Weald. But those eyes were gone, gone like a ghost in the night. He squinted his eyes to try to see better, but nothing was there. Only the infamous shadows, casted by the thick forest.

~~~~~

Alyssa approached the Professor’s house again, the pale lilac walls and stained glass looming over her. She walked all the way from her house again, trying her best to avoid as many Pokemon on the Route as possible. Whatever she was seeing whenever she had a battle, she didn't want to see any more of it until she had an explanation. Or at least, something, no matter how small or convoluted it was. Something to make sense of this.

She opened the front door and stepped in. In the front lobby stood Hop and Leon, talking excitedly to each other. Hop looked over to Alyssa and grinned. “There you are! What took you so long?”

“Sorry, didn't think I would take that long to eat,” she chuckled. “Deacon was also trying to run into the grass all the time. He’s so energetic, it’s a wonder I can keep him steady at all.”

“That’s Scorbunny for you!” Leon chimed in. “They’re known for being very energetic and wanting to run around. I think it’s symbolic of all the fire in their hearts!”

“I gotta say, I’m not surprised you picked a Fire-type,” Sonia said, coming out of the kitchen with another older woman by her side. A lab coat almost swept the floor, a pale yellow dress behind it. Supporting her up was a cane with a wooden Corviknight carved as the handle. Dirty blonde, almost greying, hair was kept up by a purple headband, and triangle glasses sat on her wrinkly face. “Your hat’s the Fire-type Gym logo.”

Alyssa nodded and subconsciously grabbed the flat brim of her hat. “Yeah, I like Fire-types. They’re my favorite.”

“Many people like Fire-types,” the old woman said. “Some people, however, don’t have the ability to keep up with the fiery attitude that comes with most of them. However, with what Leon here told me about your battle with young Hop, you seem like you won’t have any issues.”

Alyssa smiled. “Thank you, Professor?”

The Professor nodded. “You’re welcome, my dear. Now, I have something for you and Hop.” She pulled something out of her lab coat and held it out. Two familiar white bands with a red symbol in the middle. Alyssa knew what these were, she’s seen them on every Gym Leader.

“Dynamax Bands!” Hop exclaimed as he grabbed one of them and slid it on his wrist. “Thanks, Professor! This is brilliant! Now we can Dynamax Pokemon like Lee does!”

Alyssa took the other one and looked over it. A line of red marked the top of the band, and a line of blue marked the bottom. In the middle, a symbol of a red bird surrounded by a two-lined diamond. She slid her wrist through it and twisted her wrist around, getting a look at it from every angle.

Dynamxing Pokemon. Being able to hold such power in her hands again...it still felt wrong to her. She took it off and put it in her pocket. “Thanks, Professor.”

Hop frowned at her. “Why’d you take it off?”

She shrugged. “There’s no real rush to wear it immediately.”

“Sonia, why don’t you go take Hop outside and explain to him how the band works?” the Professor asked. “You go with her, Leon.”

Sonia gave her grandmother a puzzled look. “Um...alright.” She led Hop and Leon outside to the front yard, Hop looking back at Alyssa with concern before letting himself out.

“My dear, is there something troubling you?” the Professor asked kindly, her green eyes looking Alyssa over.

Something was troubling Alyssa. What had just happened to her in the span of only a day, and not being sure she could tell anyone. Who would understand anyways? No one, it seemed. But, maybe the Professor could help her. She knew so much about Pokemon anyways, maybe she can offer up an explanation.

“Yes, actually. Something is.”

The Professor gestured to the kitchen, where a little breakfast table sat with three chairs surrounding it. “Would you like to tell me about it over some tea?”

Alyssa nodded and was led over to the table by the Professor. “Which type of tea do you prefer? I have many different types.”

“I don’t really care. Whichever one you decide to make.”

Alyssa caught the slightest hint of a smirk on the old Professor’s lips. “Ah, I see then.” She grabbed a tea kettle from the cabinet and filled it up with water, turning on the stove and setting it on the tiny flames. “Tell me what is on your mind.”

Alyssa clasped her fingers in her lap and looked down. How was she supposed to explain any of this? “Well...I just had my first Pokemon battle yesterday--and it was great, don’t get me wrong--but there was just something so...weird about it.”

The Professor nodded. “What was so weird about it?”

“Well, I...I don’t really know how to explain it that well.”

“Try your best, dear.”

Alyssa took a deep breath. “When the battle started, everything went dark for a second. But when it came back, everything was different. I could see, I could see things floating above the Pokemon, like their names and these weird bars and--”

“A Moves bubble at the end of your vision?” the Professor finished off. “And strange fractions everywhere?”

Alyssa stopped, her mouth half-open with the next words she was going to say. “Wait...you know what I’m talking about?”

She nodded. “I do. You are not the first person to come to me with these questions.”

“So what is it? What is this thing I’m seeing? Am I going crazy?”

The Professor chuckled and shook her head, looking over to her. “No, you aren’t going crazy. You have View.”

As if on cue, the tea kettle started to whistle, a high-pitched sound that made Alyssa’s ears hurt. The Professor took the kettle off the stove and turned it off. 

“I have...I have what?”

“View,” she said as she grabbed two mugs and two teabags. “It’s nothing bad, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

“View?” Alyssa whispered, looking down at her hands as if they suddenly started to change shape into Bewear claws. “What is that?”

“Some humans have the ability to see things that others don’t when they enter a Pokemon battle.” She poured the boiling water into the mugs, the tags resting lazily on the other side. “Those weird bars you mentioned are for health and experience, the green and the blue one. The fraction below the health bar is how much health your Pokemon has left in numbers.”

“Sometimes the blue one grows and then disappears, and the Level goes up. What’s that?”

“Levels are how you gauge a Pokemon’s strength. The higher the Level, the more powerful that Pokemon is.” She grabbed a mug and handed it over to Alyssa, who took a close sniff of the tea. A strong herbal scent wafted into her nose, making her blink in surprise.

“And I get more Levels by battling?” she asked as she took a sip. She didn't recognize this type of tea, but the taste was the same as the scent: powerful on the tongue and quite herbally.

The Professor nodded, taking the other mug and sitting across from Alyssa. “That is the route most people take. Other Pokemon can get experience from battles just by being in your party, but it’s less than any Pokemon who actually fought in the battle.”

Alyssa furrowed her brow. “That doesn’t make much sense.”

The Professor chuckled and nodded. “I don’t make the rules, dear.”

Alyssa looked down into her mug. “So...can I tell if other people have View? Or can they see that I have it?”

The Professor shook her head. “As far as my knowledge goes, there are no signs to tell if someone has View. You would have to tell someone that knows what it is.”

“Who else do you know who has it?”

“There could be many people in Galar that have it that I do not know. Many of the people I know who have talked to me, oh, that was years ago. I don’t know where they all are.” She paused for a moment. “There was this one boy though...here in Galar, not too long ago.”

Alyssa perked up. “Who is he? What’s his name?”

The Professor looked off into the distance, her eyes trained on something a million miles away. “I’m afraid I can’t think of his name, or what he looked like. All I remember was that he had a foreign Pokemon with him.” She sighed and took a sip of her tea. “I apologize for not being able to help you more.”

Alyssa shook her head. “No, you, you cleared up a lot of things for me.” Now all that was left was to take it all in. “Is there any way to turn it off? To stop seeing all of this?”

The Professor shook her head.

“And, and you said that it happens when there’s a battle. I’ve seen a lot of battles before, so why hasn’t it turned on then?”

“It only happens when _you_ are battling, my dear. In some rare cases, with training, you can extend it out so you can see other battles, but it won’t look the same. It takes a long time though, for someone as new to it as you.”

She nodded. “Okay...I don’t think I want to see any of that.”

“That is your choice to make. Many choose not to take it. Now.” She gestured to Alyssa’s mug. “Finish your tea, then go see young Hop. He must be wondering what is taking so long.”

Alyssa nodded and gulped down the rest of the tea. “Thank you, Professor. Really.” She stood up and ran back outside to the others.

Hop, Leon, and Sonia were talking to each other near the tree next to the water, Leon perched against the back of the bench and Sonia’s Yamper sniffing around the tree.

“Finally!” Hop exclaimed as he ran over to Alyssa. “Hey, you’ve gotta battle me to convince Lee to endorse us for the Gym Challenge!”

She startled a bit. A battle, again? They already had one just yesterday. “Alright. Let’s battle.”

He threw his fists up into the air. “Yes!” He turned back to his brother, who was talking with Sonia. “Lee, are you watching this?! You gotta watch this! This’ll prove that I can take on the Gym Challenge!”

“Oh really?” Leon laughed. “You better prove yourself then!”

“I will!” He grabbed a Pokeball and threw it out. Wooloo appeared, letting out a cry.

Alyssa tugged on her cap, pulling out Deacon’s Pokeball and throwing it out. As soon as his feet touched the ground, her View clicked on.

One of the first things she noticed was that Wooloo’s Level went up to Lv. 6, double what it was the last time they battled. Hop must have battled a few Pokemon on the way here. Wooloo and Deacon were evenly matched on terms of Levels, so defeating Wooloo wouldn't be as easy as it was last time.

Nonetheless, she couldn’t back down now. “Use Ember!” Deacon chirped happily, a determined expression on his face, and ran forward, flames kicking up under his feet.

“Knock him outta the park with Tackle!” Hop commanded. Wooloo rolled up and raced forward, and the two of them met head-on. Wooloo’s health went down, but Deacon’s seemed to go down even more. Was its Tackle more effective than his Ember?

‘19/27’ underneath the health bar. Still in the green. “Keep going! Knock it out!”

The two continued to fight, ramming into and shooting flames at one another, until finally, Wooloo passed out again.

The blue bar--no, experience bar--started to fill up again as Hop drew Wooloo back in. Deacon’s health was in the yellow, and it was already showing with his panting and tousled fur. “Come on, you can do this,” she muttered to Deacon. “He’s only got a Grookey left, you’re powerful against that.”

“Conspiring with your partner there, eh mate?” Hop exclaimed. “Well it won’t be any use, cuz I’ve got a new member on my team!”

He has a what now?

He threw out a new Pokeball, and out came a Rookidee, pecking at the ground a few times. This Rookidee was Lv. 5, which was a little better for Alyssa, but not by much.

“This...wasn’t what I expected,” Alyssa muttered. “It’ll be fine. Use Tackle!”

“Bet you haven’t seen this before! Use Peck!”

Deacon ran up to the Rookidee, but he was too slow. It flapped its wings and charged full-speed at him, stabbing him with its beak. Deacon yelped and fell back in front of Alyssa, dirt and grass mixing up with his fur.

‘7/27’, his health bar a blaring red. Alyssa sucked in a tight breath. Was this how Hop felt whenever he saw his Pokemon so hurt like this? Probably not in this exact way. He probably had no clue the state his Pokemon was in until it fainted.

Alyssa wished that she had gone to the Pokemon Center and grabbed some Potions. Those would really be helpful right now. But, there was nothing she could do about it now except accept defeat.

“Finish this with another Peck!” Hop exclaimed, punching out towards them. Rookidee obeyed and flew into Deacon again. He fell down on his face, his body beaten and given up.

Alyssa called Deacon back into his Pokeball. “Congrats, Hop. That was a nice battle.”

Hop grinned. “Hah! See that? I knew I could do it. Am I ever glad to beat you this time!” He called Rookidee back and put his hands on his hips. “The sting of defeat and the joy of victory...I guess going through both is the key to the two of us getting stronger, right?”

“It certainly is!” Leon said, walking towards us, a big smile on his face. “Well, after seeing the two battles you’ve had...I suppose I have little choice but to give you both an endorsement as Champion.”

Hop’s entire face lit up as he jumped up and down in excitement. “Yes! Thanks, Lee!” He grabs Alyssa’s hands in excitement. “Can you believe it? We’re going into the Gym Challenge!”

Alyssa nodded, a grin spread across her face. “Yep! And one of us is gonna become the new Champion!”

“That person is gonna be me!” He let go of her hands to point to Lee. “I swear I’m gonna win my way through the Gym Challenge to reach you and take your title!”

“Oh really?” he laughed. “You may both be young still, and plenty rough around the edges, but you two’ve had some proper battles. I know Charizard and I were feeling the excitement in every last cell in our bodies!” He looked down to Hop and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Hop, you’ve always tended to get caught up in the little things, like how to throw your Pokeball out, things that have nothing to do with real strength. Honestly, I’d been worried about you still obsessing over that kind of nonsense. But it seems you’ve really grown a bit, Hopscotch!” He looked over to Alyssa, a kind smile on his face. “And I’d like to see some more thrilling battles out of you too, Alyssa.”

He put his hands back on his hips. “Well then! Now that you have your Dynamax Bands, your endorsements, your Pokedexes, and some Pokemon, it sounds high time to start on your journey, eh?”

Hop punched the air. “Yeah! We’re ready, right Alyssa?”

Alyssa nodded. “Yep. Let’s go.”

“That’s what I like to hear!” Leon grinned. “Alright, your first destination is Motostoke to get registered. Take the train over there and head over to the Stadium.”

“Alright! The first page of my legend is about to begin! Alyssa, you should get some more Pokemon for your team. You won’t get that far with only Deacon!”

She nodded and looked down at Deacon’s Pokeball, resting in a pocket outside of her bag. “He needs some friends too.”

“I’ll meet you at the train station. Don’t take too long!” he yelled before racing up the hill back towards Wedgehurst.

Alyssa didn't run back like he did, but she went back up to Wedgehurst, being extra careful to not run into any Pokemon along the way. She stopped by the Pokemon Center to heal Deacon and buy some Potions and Pokeballs, as well a belt to hold her team, with her pocket change. Then, she went back into the grassy patches to go and catch some Pokemon.

It didn't take that long for her to catch some more Pokemon. They were practically teeming everywhere when she came back, and they all seemed desperate to join her team. The more she battled wild Pokemon, the more she got used to her View. Something new even popped up: once she caught her second Pokemon--a Rookidee that she decided to name Cake because the name just seemed right--his name, health bar, and Level appeared in another corner of her vision. If new things keep appearing, she wouldn't be able to see the actual battle!

Along with Cake, whom she had to take down some of his health to get him to join, she also caught a Nickit named Majesty who was rather glad to be caught, and a Yamper named Tiberius who practically jumped into her lap when she pulled out a Pokeball.

She kept training for a while, the two other Pokemon joining Cake up at the corner. At each new victory, all of their experience bars filled up and Levels rose. Deacon was the highest, but the other three were catching up with each battle.

By the time Deacon was Lv. 9 and the rest were around Lv. 8 or 7, she decided she should meet Hop at the train station. Didn't want to keep him waiting for too long. She put her Pokeballs into her new belt and headed back to the train station.

Hop was waiting there by the entrance, just like he said he would. “You took your sweet time, didn't you?”

“Oh come on, I was getting a team together,” she laughed. “Didn't you take your team to do some training too?”

“Yeah, but you took extra long. So, out with it. Who did you get?”

She pointed to each of her Pokeballs on her belt. “This one’s Majesty, she’s a Nickit. And this one’s Tiberius, he’s a Yamper. Oh, and this one’s Cake, he’s a Rookidee.”

“Wow, you really love naming your Pokemon, huh?” he chuckled.

She shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. It just makes them feel more connected to me. They are now part of my team, after all.”

He nodded. “Right! The train into Motostoke leaves in a few minutes, so let’s go!”

Alyssa followed Hop as he headed inside. She had never been in a train station before, so the sight of everything was new to her. Two ticket machines were propped up next to the door, a store similar to the one in the Pokecenter was nestled into a corner of the small building, and there were a few chairs for people to sit on while they waited.

Hop helped the two of them get tickets to Motostoke and they stood near the gates out to the tracks. “Hey, Alyssa,” he said suddenly. “I want to give you something.” He reached into his bag and held out a grey disc.

Alyssa took it, examining it curiously. “What is this?”

“It’s a TM! Short for Technical Machine. You can teach new moves to your Pokemon in a flash, and you can use them as many times as you like! This one here teaches Swift. Lee gave this one to me a long time ago, and now it’s yours.”

She smiled and put it in her bag. “Thank you. Really.”

He grinned back and shoved his hands into his pockets. “No problem!” The ground underneath them begins to shake a little as the train comes up and slows to a stop. “That’s our train! Let’s go!”

“Wait, Hop!” A familiar voice from the door stopped the two kids in their tracks. Hop’s and Alyssa’s mums come up to them, happy smiles on their faces.

“Mum? Alyssa’s mum?” Hop asked. “What’re you doing here?”

“We came to see you two off,” Hop’s mum answered, clasping her hands together in front of her. “And to wish you good luck.”

“Thanks, Mum. And imagine how lucky you’ll be--the mother of the first ever pair of Champion brothers! ‘Cause I’ll be the one to defeat Lee and become the Champion! You’ll see.”

Both of their mums came to hug their kids, whispering words of encouragement in their ears.

“We really have to go,” Alyssa said. “This is our train, and we can’t miss it.”

“Oh alright,” her mum chuckled as she let her daughter go. “Be safe out there, you two. And remember, you can always come home whenever you need to.”

Hop had to pull himself away from his mum’s cheek smooches and almost cling to the gate. “Yep, will do, come on Alyssa!” he said as he ran out to the tracks, Alyssa right behind him as their mums waved goodbye.

They sat down in the middle of the first train car they came to as the train slowly began to start up again. Hop set his bag in the seat next to him and leaned back in the cushioned seats. “Y’know, I’ve heard that other regions don’t have a Wild Area like we do here in Galar! That makes ours pretty special, eh? We’ll be able to see it from her as we ride to Motostoke. It’s huge, and surrounds almost half of Motostoke! Wild Pokemon just wander about everywhere you look. And it’s beautiful out there; you can camp out, or do a spot of fishing. I don’t think I could ever get tired of it!”

Alyssa stared out the windows as they rode through the hills and farmlands around Postwick and Wedgehurst. After what seemed to only be a few minutes, the train stopped, and an announcement over the PA system told them to please disembark the train. She looked around. They definitely weren’t in Motostoke.

The two of them stepped out of the train into the station, where the Station Master stood talking with someone that she wasn’t quite sure his purpose was.

“Excuse me, Mr. Station Master!” Hop said, coming right up to them. Alyssa held back a sigh. Hop tended to interrupt conversations every now and then to get his questions asked and answered. “Isn’t this the Wild Area? Why have we stopped here?”

The Station Master looked down at him. “Sorry kid, but there’s a wild pack of Wooloo blocking the tracks right now. We can’t go ahead until the tracks are cleared again.”

A smile broke out on Hop’s face. “What’s there to be sorry about? This is brilliant!”

“Brilliant?” Alyssa asked, letting the Station Master and the other guy resume their conversation. “How?”

“The Wild Area is massive! There’s loads of Pokemon to battle here! It’s the perfect place to train up and build a mighty fine team!” He grabbed her wrist and led them outside.

Surrounding them outside is a small clearing with trees as the border. It slopes down into what she supposes is the Wild Area, and in the distance, the Motostoke skyline. The large clock tower stuck out like a stick in the mud from the other smaller buildings, the tainted yellow circle barely noticeable from this distance.

“Whoa, check it out! That’s Motostoke, all the way over there!” Hop grinned. “All that’s standing between us and our first city is the Wild Area.” Someone moving towards them caught his eye. “Oh, if it isn’t Sonia. Hello there mate!”

A light brown coat covered up her turquoise shirt, all buttoned up now, with a simple satchel hanging at her side. Yamper stood directly at her heels, smiling down at the two of them. “Hey there. Man, my gran gave me a proper earful in her own way,” she sighed as she rubbed the side of her head. “‘Those two young Trainers are setting out on a journey, but what are you doing with your life?’”

Alyssa winced. “Oof, sorry about that. That must suck to hear.”

She waved a hand. “Ah, never you mind that! Nothing to worry yourselves over! Besides, I’ve been quite curious about that Pokemon you two met in the forest. I’d been thinking I should look into it, so the timing works out fine! If I discover something really huge, maybe even Gran’ll have to admit I’ve some talent!”

“Yikes…” Hop said. “Being an adult has got its own challengers, eh?”

“I said you needn’t worry about it! I’m glad to be back on the road! I’ve missed going camping and on fishing trips.”

“Right. Well! I’m off to go stick my head in as many of those red glowing dens as I can find. I’m gonna battle the snot outta so many Dynamax Pokemon and fill in another page in my legend!” He waved goodbye as he ran off towards the Wild Area.

“What cheek!” Sonia laughed. “You’ll have to Dynamax your Pokemon as well if you want a chance at taking on anything that strong!”

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind,” Alyssa said, looking over at the Wild Area, where Hop had already disappeared into.

“Well, what’re you waiting for?” Sonia asked as she gestured to the entrance. “Go on! The Wild Area is waiting for you!”

Alyssa waved goodbye as well before adjusting her bag and heading out into the Wild Area.

Hop was right, it truly was a sight to behold. Sprawling hills, large lakes with islands in the middle of them, dense forests and long patches of grass with wild Pokemon sauntering around. There was so much here, and it was beautiful.

She made sure to go through as much as she could, reaching every small corner and picking up everything that she could find. She shook down berry trees and grabbed what she could, or mainly what wasn’t stolen by a Pokemon jumping down on her and distracting her while other Pokemon took most of her berries. Many new types of Pokemon waltzed around her, some of them challenging her to a battle, some of them just going about their business, some even wanting nothing to do with her and running away.

With every battle she fought, her team became stronger. Their Levels went up, and she took each one of them out to battle with them and become used to them. She even caught herself a new Pokemon for the team: a Stufful she dubbed Nikolai, who fought tooth and nail not to be caught, only agreeing after he was about to pass out.

Right when everybody was above Lv. 13 did Alyssa decided there was enough training and to head into the clockwork city. She called everybody back into their Pokeballs and headed towards the huge stairs at the end. 

A man in a white and red uniform stood at the bottom of the stairs, sunglasses hiding his eyes. He gave Alyssa a friendly nod as she passed by, and she gave one back, unsure if she should know him or not.

One of the first things she saw once she reached the top of the stairs was the two brothers and Sonia all talking again. Sonia looked over to Alyssa and waved her over. “Hey there! You’re finally out!”

Hop whirled around on his heels to face her. “Did you fight any Dynamax Pokemon? I tried to fight one, but I got my butt whooped!” he admitted sheepishly as he held his hands behind his head.

Alyssa laughed and shook her head. “Of course you would try to fight a Dynamax Pokemon.”

“Hey, I gotta train somehow, right? All the Gym Leaders Dynamax their Pokemon! Well, all except one, but that’s still most of them!”

Leon laughed heartily and put his hands on both of their shoulders. “One look at the two of you tells me that you’ve become Trainers worthy of the endorsement I gave you! In fact…” He goes digging through his pockets and pulls out two items, a piece of Charcoal and a Miracle Seed. “I think you two are ready to use these. Give these to your Pokemon for you to hold!” He handed the Charcoal to Alyssa and the Miracle Seed to Hop.

“Thanks, Lee!” Hop grinned as he took his gift. “Which Pokemon should I give it to though…?”

Alyssa ran her thumb over the Charcoal, leaving behind a dark smudge from its rough and scarred surface. She pulled out a Pokeball and called out Deacon, who looked around Motostoke with a huge smile on his face. He started to run off and explore, but Alyssa caught him by the shoulder.

“Hey, hold on. Take this.” She handed the Charcoal to Deacon, who looked down at it with curiosity. “This is yours now. It’ll help you.”

Deacon nodded and held the item close to his chest. 

“Right then!” Leon declared. “Your first stop before you head off is to the Stadium to register.” He looked behind him and didn't respond for a while until Sonia sighed and pointed to a large lift straight across from him, a humongous gear behind it connected to a few smaller ones up top. He pointed to the lift. “Take that lift to get to the Stadium on the second story of the city! Take your time, but don’t take too long! The whole of Galar is waiting to see what its new Gym Challengers have in store for them!”


End file.
